


With a Little Kindness

by CityEscape4



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Daiken Week 2020, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24618562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CityEscape4/pseuds/CityEscape4
Summary: Ken feels something pulling him towards the Digital World. In his search to find what beckons him, he and Daisuke are separated, from both each other and their respective partners.
Relationships: Ichijouji Ken/Motomiya Daisuke | Davis Motomiya
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	With a Little Kindness

**Author's Note:**

> For DaiKen Week 2020! This is for Day 4, the prompt being Digimon Swap!

It had been several years since the defeat of MaloMyotismon, and the DigiDestined were all young adults now, living their lives alongside their Digimon partners. Ken had recently gotten an apartment with his best-friend-turned-boyfriend Daisuke, and the two of them lived there with Wormmon and Veemon, and honestly? Ken didn't think he could be any happier.

However, he'd recently begun to feel troubled.

He didn't know how to explain it. There was this feeling, this urge, this _calling_ that had recently been beckoning him towards the Digital World.

Initially, he'd brushed if off as nothing, as just 'Oh, we haven't been to the Digital World in a while, we should probably go', but after a friendly get-together with the rest of the Digidestined in the Digital World, the desire to go there had grown stronger, Ken having felt like he was unfulfilled when they left, like he had unfinished business.

After explaining his situation to Daisuke, the mahogany haired male was quick to plan a trip to the Digital World, for just them and their partners. “If something's messing with you, we gotta get to the bottom of it.” Daisuke had said, the two of them sitting in bed.

“I know, I just...” Ken frowned, his gaze avoiding Daisuke's for a moment, before raising to meet his brown eyes. “What if it has something to do with my days as the Digimon Kaiser?” Ken brought his knees up to his chest then, hugging himself close. “I know I've atoned for what I did as a kid, but--”

“But nothing.” Daisuke said, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder. “Whatever it is, we'll tackle it together. I'm gonna be by your side the whole time, no matter what, so you can depend on me, alright?”

Ken relaxed then, letting go of his knees and dropping his defenses, smiling at his boyfriend. “Alright. Thanks, Daisuke.”

“It's nothing.” Daisuke shook his head as he smiled, urging Ken to lay down with him. “Let's get some sleep. We'll find out what it is that's bugging you tomorrow.”

With that, Ken nodded and laid down beside Daisuke, the two becoming an entanglement of limbs, before both young men slowly succumbed to sleep.

* * *

“So where exactly are we going?” Veemon asked aloud, as he, Ken, and Daisuke walked aimlessly in a thick forest in the Digital World, Ken leading the way, carrying Wormmon in his arms.

“It's up to Ken.” Daisuke said. “It's like Follow the Leader! Ken's leading us wherever he wants, and we're just following.”

“Yeah, but we've been walking for a while.” Veemon huffed, before a smile came to him. “Wouldn't it be faster if I Digivolved to ExVeemon and flew us where Ken wanted?” 

Before Daisuke could answer, however, Ken stopped walking. There was a clearing in the forest, that circled a lone mountain and from their vantage point, Ken and Daisuke could spot the mouth of a cave in the mountainside.

“Ken?” Daisuke asked.

“I think this is it.”

“What is it?” Wormmon questioned, looking up at his partner. “Ken, why are we here?”

“I'm not sure...” Ken admitted, slowly walking towards the cave. “But I think I'm supposed to be here.”

Daisuke and Veemon were quick to follow, and as they stood outside the cave, Ken put Wormmon down, peering into the cave.

“Do you see anything?” Daisuke's voice came curious, but concerned, wanting whatever it was that was bugging Ken to come to an end, but when Ken shook his head, Daisuke frowned slightly.

“No, Daisuke. Just that the cave goes further in.” Ken exhaled and looked back to Daisuke and Veemon. “Can we go in? I just... I have this strange feeling.”

“Yeah.” Daisuke nodded, waving Veemon along and walking with Ken and Wormmon into the cave.

Wormmon was quick to take the lead, having had a lot of energy thanks to Ken having carried him for nearly the entirety of their trip, with Ken, Daisuke, and Veemon following behind him. Not 10 seconds into the cave, however, the ground beneath them began to rumble and shake, each individual bracing themselves in someway.

“Earthquake!” Ken cried out, pressing his side to the cave's wall. Though no sooner than Ken called that out, the ceiling above them began to crack and small rocks began to fall. Daisuke was first to notice this, and dove for Wormmon, who was in the way of the falling rubble.

“Look out!” Daisuke rolled and grabbed Wormmon, tumbling a ways away, before the ceiling caved in, rocks shutting Daisuke and Wormmon trapped inside the cave.

“Daisuke! Wormmon!” Veemon and Ken both called out for their friends and partners, worry coursing through them as soon as the dust settled and there was no sign of them.

Silence filled their side of the cave, and Ken felt tears prick at his eyes. No nonono, Daisuke and Wormmon weren't--

“We're ok!”

At the sound of Daisuke's voice, Ken felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, sinking to his knees as Veemon was quick to rush to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You sure?” Veemon called out to Daisuke and Wormmon, as he comfortingly patted Ken.

“Yes, I'm ok, thanks to Daisuke!” Wormmon's voice was the one to come this time, and Ken let out a shutter-y breath. They were both _okay._

“What about you guys?” Daisuke asked through the rock.

“We're fine. A little shaken up, but fine.” Veemon replied. “Right, Ken?” His voice was gentler when acknowledging Ken, and Ken nodded, before speaking himself.

“Y-Yeah. We're fine.”

“Good.” Daisuke said, before sighing. “It looks like the cave goes further in. Wormmon and I will follow it along to see if there's a way out on the other side. Do you think you two could head outside, maybe keep an eye out for other exits we might be able to make use of?”

“Can do!” Veemon replied happily. “C'mon, Ken, let's get out of here.”

Ken nodded and rose to his feet. “You two, be careful, ok?”

“We will, Ken.” Wormmon spoke that time, and Ken smiled. They'd take care of each other. They'd be ok. They'd find a way out and then they could just head home. Whatever had been beckoning him to this spot was not worth getting separated and nearly losing each other.

“C'mon, Wormmon.” Ken heard Daisuke say. “Let's find a way out of here.”

“Mmm-hmm!”

With an exhale, Ken looked to Veemon. “We should get out of here, like Daisuke said.” 

“Right!” Veemon smiled at Ken. “It'll be ok. We'll see them again real soon.”

“I know,” Ken replied as the two walked out of the cave. “I'm just worried.”

A comfortable silence settled among the two of them as they exited the cave and began to circle the base of the mountain, when they discovered a path that led up the mountainside. The two of them shared a look, before Veemon began walking up the path. 

“Veemon, wait,” Ken said, looking around before looking to his boyfriend's partner. “Shouldn't we finish searching the bottom of the mountain?”

“I got a good feeling about this path.” Veemon said, holding a hand out. “You don't think so?”

That was the thing. Ken _wanted_ to go up there. Whatever had been calling to him was wanting him to go up the mountain now. But him wanting to go into the cave led to them all getting separated. What would happen if he followed this urge this time?

“C'mon, Ken. Trust me.”

Well how could he not trust Veemon? With a sigh, Ken nodded. “Alright Veemon, let's go.” With that, the two began ascending the mountainside.

* * *

“We're lucky you have that mini flashlight, Daisuke.” Wormmon murmured, looking at Daisuke as the two of them walked further into the cave. “It would have been hard to manage without it.”

“Yeah.” Daisuke agreed, holding the mini flashlight from his key ring. “At least this way we have light.”

A silence settled between them, before Wormmon looked to Daisuke again. “Thank you for saving me. I wouldn't have been able to move out of the way fast enough on my own.”

“It's nothing, don't worry about it.” Daisuke said with a smile. “I'd do it again in a heartbeat.”

Wormmon smiled happily at that, but after a few seconds, his smile melded into a worried frown. “Do you think Ken will be alright? I know he's got Veemon with him, but without you there to Digivolve Veemon, or me there to Digivolve for Ken, I can't help but worry.”

“It'll be alright.” Daisuke said, his voice gentle, matching the smile he was giving Wormmon. “Veemon's pretty tough, and Ken's really smart. They'll be able to watch each other's backs.” While he believed what he said, Daisuke would be lying if he said he wasn't worried about them too.

“You're right.” Wormmon relaxed somewhat at Daisuke's words, knowing that Daisuke would never lie to him. 

Before either individual could say something else, the earth began to rumble and shake again, Wormmon whimpering as he hunkered down in place. “Another earthquake?”

“No,” Daisuke said, bracing himself against the cave's wall. “I think it's an aftershock.” Silence settled among them as the aftershock died down, and they stopped bracing themselves. A sigh escaped Daisuke and he looked to Wormmon then. “You ok?”

“Yeah.” Wormmon shook himself free of his jitters, and looked to Daisuke then. “Do you think there'll be more?”

“Probably. So we need to get out of this cave soon.” Daisuke murmured. “The last thing we need is the other end of this cave being blocked off.”

Wormmon nodded, and began walking again. “Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!”

* * *

The aftershock that had tore through the mountain affected Ken and Veemon too, the two of them pressing their backs against the mountainside for stability as the ground below them shook. 

“I didn't think about aftershocks.” Ken said, his stomach churning with anxiety. “You ok, Veemon?”

“Yep!” Veemon's voice was a little shaky, but his expression was bright. “What about you? You look like you're gonna be sick.”

“N-No, I'm fine,” Ken insisted, as the shaking came to a stop. “I'm fine, I just... I'm worried, is all.”

“About Daisuke and Wormmon?”

“Yeah.”

“They'll be ok!” Veemon said with a smile, peeling away from the mountainside and stepping back to the middle of the path. “They both care about you a lot, and wanna get back to you, so nothing's gonna stop them.”

Ken's cheeks flushed a light tint of red at that, and he smiled, pulling away from the mountainside as well. “Thanks, Veemon.”

“No problem!” Veemon gave Ken a thumbs up, and the two began walking along the path again, curving up the mountainside. An easy silence settled between the two of them, when Ken suddenly stopped and looked around, a small frown on his face. Veemon took notice of this and stopped as well, looking Ken over concernedly. “Ken?”

Before Ken could say anything, however, another aftershock rolled through the ground, dual loud cracking noises coming from both behind them and above them. Both individuals looked up out of instinct, and saw rocks falling from above, about to rain down on them.

“Veemon!” Ken was quick to move and shield Veemon's body with his own, bracing himself for the impact of hard rock coming down on them.

* * *

A comfortable silence had settled among Wormmon and Daisuke as they continued to walk through the cave, the two of them hoping for some sort of exit in to come into sight. That comfortableness was soon disrupted, however, as another aftershock ripped through the area, Daisuke using his arm to steady himself against the wall, Wormmon laying low to the ground, both waiting out the rockiness.

It was Wormmon who noticed the light first.

“Daisuke!” He called out, causing the mahogany haired young man to look at him in concern. “Your pocket!”

Looking down, Daisuke noticed a muted pink light shining from his pants pocket. What in the _digiworld_ was _that?_ Waiting only a few seconds for the shocks to pass, Daisuke and Wormmon regained their bearings the minute the earth's shaking had stopped, and Daisuke rummaged in his pocket, only to pull out his Digivice, enclosed in his hand. Was this what was causing the light?

Slowly, Daisuke opened his hand, and both he and Wormmon were confused by what they saw.

“That's...” Wormmon murmured, crawling closer to Daisuke, who crouched down to Wormmon's level so that the little bug Digimon could see what he was seeing, “That's the Crest of Kindness...!”

Slowly flashing on Daisuke's D-3's screen was, in fact, the Crest of Kindness, the pink symbol standing out against an otherwise blank screen.

“That shouldn't be possible.” Daisuke said, looking at Wormmon. “That's _Ken's_ crest, not mine. I don't even have a crest, just the Digimentals of Courage and Friendship!”

Wormmon looked troubled at that, his front claws tapping together anxiously. “You don't think that's some sort of distress signal, do you?” 

Daisuke paled at the thought. Were Ken and Veemon in trouble? Without their respective partners to help them, they were practically defenseless! “C'mon!” Daisuke cried out, pocketing his Digivice and picking up Wormmon. “We gotta hurry and get out of here!”

With that, Daisuke ran, Wormmon in one arm, the flashlight in the other hand.

* * *

The pressure of solid rock against him never came. 

Ken fell to the ground as Veemon's mass below him changed, the blue dino Digimon having begun to glow and morph. Ken's eyes were shut tight, until he heard a mid-tenor voice cry out above him, _”Jumping Blow!”_ , followed by a solid _thud!_ behind him, and little bits of rubble falling to the ground around him. Realizing Veemon was no longer below him, Ken sat up on his knees and looked around frantically.

“Veemon?!”

“Yo!”

There was that mid-tenor voice again, this time behind him. Ken turned and looked upon the owner of the voice: A yellow kangaroo-like Digimon, wearing red boxing gloves, and a blue helmet that covered the top half of it's face. “You ok, Ken?”

Ken blinked, slowly rising to his feet. “Y-Yeah, I'm fine, I...” That voice... It sounded almost like... “Veemon?”

The Digimon flashed him a smirk, playfully jabbing at the air with a glove. “I'm Kangarumon now!”

Looking Kangarumon over, Ken stepped a bit closer, looking somewhat confused. “You... digivolved? But _how?”_

Instead of responding, Kangarumon hopped past Ken, his gaze transfixed on something behind the young man. “Woah, look at that!”

Ken turned, his eyes widening somewhat in surprise as he was greeted with the sight of a mostly obscured symbol from the Crest of Kindness carved into the rock, partially covered by a wall of rock in front of it. “That's the Crest of Kindness!” Ken exclaimed, walking to the wall of rock, placing a hand on the mountainside. “What's it doing here?”

Kangarumon let out a _'hmm'_ , folding his arms and tilting his head. “I dunno.” Looking over the obscured symbol, Kangarumon's face lit up. “Hey, Ken. Move out the way.” Ken looked at him then, and Kangarumon simply said, “Trust me.”

Ken moved out of the way then, taking his hand off the wall and backing up to the middle of the pathway, watching as Kangarumon reared back his right fist. The began to glow golden, and as he threw his fist forward, Kangarumon hopped and yelled, “Jumping Blow!”

Watching as the rock blocking the symbol was reduced to rubble, it became more apparent just _what_ the mountainside had been obscuring.

What laid beyond the wall of rock was a small temple, no bigger than a closet, with the symbol from the Crest of Kindness adorned on the front of the top of the temple. Ken tentatively walked forward, into the small temple, and gasped upon seeing a small pedestal holding a pink, rose-like ornament, which also had the symbol from the Crest of Kindness upon it. His gaze transfixed on the ornament, Ken reached out to grab it, almost mesmerized by the thing. He was so enthralled by the ornament, that he didn't acknowledge the rolling aftershock that passed through the mountain, though Kangarumon was more than aware of it.

“Ken! Come on!” Kangarumon called, peering inside the temple. It was so small that he couldn't tell what had grabbed Ken's attention, but he thought whatever it was wasn't worth it. The last thing he wanted was for the aftershock to trap Ken in such a small place, or worse. But as Ken grabbed and lifted the ornament, the aftershock simply... stopped. 

Kangarumon looked around surprised, until Ken turned to face him, holding the ornament in his hands. At the sight of it, Kangarumon gaped, his jaw dropping somewhat slack, and even with the helmet, it wasn't hard to imagine the Digimon wide-eyed. “Ken... is that what I think it is?”

Ken looked down at the object in his hands, then back to Kangarumon. “I don't know... I just feel like... like it was meant for _me."_

Kangarumon chuckled somewhat. "What gave it away, the Digmental's Crest of Kindness?"

Ken blinked at that. "Digimental?" He asked, looking down at the object in his hands. "Like how Daisuke and the others have?" He brushed a thumb against the side of the Digimental, his gaze one of muted awe. "You mean I could Armor-Digivolve Wormmon if I needed?"

"Yuh-huh!" Kangarumon gave a single hop of excitement. "Welcome to the club, Ken! It only took you how many years?"

Laughing, Ken shook his head, and was about to reply when he heard faint, muffled noises coming from _somewhere._ Frowning, he looked around, only to realize the stifled sounds were coming from behind him. Turning back into the small temple, Ken leaned on his side against the back wall, placing an ear to the wall. It was muffled, but he could make out two distinct voices.

"--ts a dead end."

"We have to get out of here soon."

"I know, I'm just worried about Ken and Vee."

Ken's eyes widened upon hearing his and Veemon's names. That had to have been Daisuke and Wormmon! Shifting the Digimental to one arm, Ken banged on the rock with the side of a fist, calling out, "Hey!"

The voices on the other side stopped for a moment, before both cried out simultaneously. "Ken!?"

A breath of relief left Ken then, who turned back to look at Kangarumon. "It's Daisuke and Wormmon!"

Kangarumon, meanwhile, simply smiled happily and watched Ken, knowing the small temple wouldn't fit both of them. He gave Ken a nod of acknowledgment, and Ken turned back to the wall. "You guys ok?"

"We're fine!" Came Daisuke's voice, "What about you?!" He sounded closer now, though still somewhat muffled. He must have been pressed against the wall too.

"I'm fine! Veemon's fine too!"

"I'm so glad you're both ok!" Wormmon's voice came this time, and it set Ken's heart at ease hearing his partner's voice again. "I was so worried!"

"I'm glad you're both ok too," Ken replied, smiling. After a moment though, he looked back to Kangarumon, then to the wall of rock that currently separated them from Daisuke and Wormmon. "I have an idea to get you guys out of there! But you're both going to have to step far back!"

"Got it!" Came the dual voices, before Ken heard nothing more. 

Backing out of the temple, Ken looked to Kangarumon, an uneasy smile on his face. "Do you think you could fit in there and destroy the rock without damaging the structure of the temple?" The last thing they needed was to bring the temple down around them.

Kangarumon nodded, hopping once before giving a playful salute. "You got it, Ken!" He then made his way inside the temple, barely fitting between the wall and the pedestal the Digimental had been resting on. He slowly reared his fist back, and as it began to glow golden, Kangarumon controlled his power output, hopping slightly and making only a small strike to to wall. "Jumping Blow!"

When the dust settled, Ken was able to make out a decent sized hole in the wall, one that Wormmon and Daisuke should have been able to fit through. They were going to have to crawl through though, as the hole wasn't started from the ground up. Kangarumon shifted himself out of the temple, and Ken rushed in, standing guard by the hole Kangarumon had made. "Wormmon? Daisuke?"

After a few moments of silence, Daisuke's head popped into view in the hole that Kangarumon had made. "You couldn't have made this a little bigger?" He asked playfully, teasing Ken.

Ken didn't care though, relief flooding through his system. "I'm glad you're both alright."

Daisuke dropped the playfulness then, smiling more gently now. "I could say the same about the both of you."

"Let me see Ken!" Came Wormmon's voice, "I can't see from here!" Ken couldn't help the laughter that left him at that, and watched as Daisuke bent down, picking up Wormmon. As soon as the bug Digimon saw his beloved partner, his face lit up. "Oh, Ken! I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Wormmon..."

"Here, don't let me stop you both." Daisuke said as he gently placed Wormmon inside the hole Kangarumon made. "Go on, Wormmon. I'm right behind you."

At that, Wormmon was quick to skitter through the hole, calling out for his partner. As Wormmon made his way into Ken's arms, the two hugged one another, Wormmon nuzzling into Ken's chest.

"Geeze, I guess I wasn't missed at all, huh?"

Ken looked up at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, Daisuke having just pulled himself through the hole Kangarumon had made. Before he could say anything further, Ken put both the Digimental of Kindness and Wormmon down on the pedestal, before turning to Daisuke and wrapping him in a hug too. Daisuke was quick to return the hug, burying his face in Ken's shoulder.

"I was so worried about you both." Came Daisuke's muffled voice.

Ken exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "About us?" He asked incredulously. "We weren't the ones stuck inside a mountain!"

"I know, but after my Digivice went off, all I could think about was you and Vee, and--" Daisuke pulled away from Ken at that, looking around then. "Wait, where's Veemon?"

"Yo."

Daisuke's gaze went to the front of the temple, where he was met with a waving Kangarumon. Daisuke blinked, before stepping away from Ken and moving towards the Kangaroo-like Digimon then. "...Vee?"

"That's me!" Kangarumon exclaimed, before shaking a gloved hand side to side somewhat. "Except I'm not Veemon right now, I'm Kangarumon!"

“Kangarumon?” Daisuke asked, looking over his partner. “How did you Digivolve without me...?” He looked to Ken for some kind of answer, but before Ken could answer, Daisuke's gaze fell onto the Digimental of Kindness, which Wormmon was looking over curiously. “Is that the Digimental of Kindness?” He asked, looking at Ken.

Ken nodded, smiling excitedly as he did so. “Yeah, that's it.”

“We have a Digimental now?” Wormmon asked. “I could armor-digivolve?”

Again, Ken nodded. But before he could say anything, the Digimental began to glow a gentle pink, and shortly after, Kangarumon did too. After a few seconds, Kangarumon de-digivolved back into Veemon, the pink glow gone from both him, and the Digimental. Both young men were surprised at the sight, and turned their gazes to the Digimental of Kindness.

“So Veemon armor-digivolved using the Digimental of Kindness?” Daisuke asked to no one in particular, more speaking aloud than anything.

“That would explain why your Digivice had the Crest of Kindness on it.” Wormmon murmured.

“But how's that possible?” Ken asked, looking to Daisuke then. “We found the Digimental _after_ Veemon had Digivolved.”

“True,” Veemon butted in, “But we were so close to the Digimental without realizing it, maybe it like, sensed you were in trouble and helped out any way it could.”

“Trouble?” Daisuke asked. “What happened?”

“One of those aftershocks sent some rocks falling down on us.” Ken said, looking up towards the top of the mountain. “I moved to shield Veemon with my body, and the next thing I know,” He looked to Veemon then, “Veemon was Kangarumon, destroying any rocks that would have fallen on me.”

“Maybe it was that act of kindness.” Wormmon spoke up, causing the other three individuals to look at him. “Maybe you willing to sacrifice yourself for Veemon, as well as being in such close proximity to the Digimental, activated it before you'd found it.”

“Maybe...” Ken murmured. He folded his arms and exhaled slowly. “Whatever the case is, I'm just glad we're all safe and back together now.”

“Right.” Daisuke agreed, nodding in response. “We should head home before another aftershock hits.”

“I don't think that'll be a problem anymore.” Veemon chirped up, causing Daisuke to look at him confusedly, before he started to explain his reasoning. “Well that last aftershock? It stopped as soon as Ken picked up the Digimental.”

“And the earthquake that separated us didn't occur until we'd stepped foot inside the cave at the base of the mountain.” Ken realized, looking over to the Digimental. “Was the earthquake just the Digimental's way of trying to be found?”

“I dunno.” Daisuke replied, walking over to Ken and hugging him, his forehead resting against his boyfriend's shoulder. “But this has gotta be what was urging you to come to the Digital World, right? You feel better?”

Ken loosely wrapped his arms around Daisuke in return, exhaling slowly. “Yeah.” He answered, nodding slightly. “Yeah, I feel like... almost a sense of relief. Like I didn't know I needed it until it was with me.”

“Good.” Daisuke punctuated his brief sentence with a light kiss to Ken's neck, the action causing the taller male to give a hum of delight. “Then let's, at the very least, get away from this mountain before another aftershock hits.”

“Right.” Ken agreed, pressing a small kiss to Daisuke's temple before pulling away, the two young men making their way to their respective partners, ready to head home.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm taking commissions now! You can find my info [here!](https://city-writes.tumblr.com/post/613670764703580160/commissions-are-still-open)


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